Rail joint



Feb. 2, 1937. F, F|F|ELD 2,069,361

RAIL JOINT Filed April 8, 1932 Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF} RAIL JOINT Application April 8, 1932, Serial No. 604,023

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to improvements in rail joints, and relates more particularly to improved wear compensating means for rail joints which have become somewhat worn in service, whereby with very little expense the impaired efficiency of the rail joint, due to wear, may be restored.

The present application discloses an improved wear compensating means for railroad rail joints applicable to the spaces in rail joints occasioned by wear of the joint in service and represents certain improvements over the constructions previously disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,707,434, dated April 2, 1929, previously granted to Robert Emmet Keough, and United States Letters Patent No. 1,702,077, dated February 12, 1929, previously granted to me.

In the wear compensating means for rail joints disclosed in the aforesaid prior patents, it has been found that when said means are made in the ment of said shims longitudinally of the joint,

so that in time due to vibrations imparted by passing trains, the shim has so moved in the joint as to be displaced from its proper most eflicient crevice filling position.

Also, such shims, when made relatively thin, are subject to the deleterious effects of brine from refrigerator cars, and to the ravages of the elements, to a degree that they soon become brittle and break; also they introduce, when exposed to the effects of brine and the like, and the elements, considerable friction between the ends of the rails, which are relatively movable responsive to temperature conditions, because of thermal expansion and contraction effects imposed upon 4 the rails, in such manner that the joint becomes deranged and imposing stresses on the rails and the associated parts which are objectionable for various reasons.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved wear compensating means for rail joints, which when once placed between the worn parts of the rail joint, in the most efiicient wear compensating position, will effectively retain such initially adjusted position. Another object of my invention is to provide an improved wear compensating means for rail joints comprising a shim interposable between the fishing surfaces of the joint, which will not rust or become deteriously affected by brine from refrigerator cars or the ravages of the elements to which it is exposed while in service.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved wear compensating means for rail joints which will reduce the frictional effect of the joint means upon the ends of the rails tending to restrain the longitudinal movements of said rail ends responsive to thermal expansion and contraction of the rails.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved wear compensating means for rail joints which will retain a given adjusted position relative to the joint side bars.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved relatively thin wear compensating means for rail joints.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying description of an embodiment of my invention, and in which description reference is had to the accompanying drawing illustrating the said embodiment.

In the drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rail joint, for a longitudinally abutted pair of rails, fragments of which are shown, and in which the wear compensating means of my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the rail joint and the wear compensating means therefor during application of the said means to the joint;

Fig. 3 is a view otherwise like that of Fig. 2 but after a final operation incidental to the installation of said wear compensating means has been effected, to insure that the wear compensating means will not move from an adjusted position longitudinally of the rails;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the Wear compensating means of Fig. 2 before the operations indicated in Fig. 3 have been effected;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the ultimate form of the wear compensating means as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View similar to Fig. 3, but showing another embodiment of my invention, referring particularly to the wear compensating means therefor;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the initial form of the wear compensating means of Fig. 6, before the operation as indicated in Fig. 6, had been effected;

Fig. 8 is the perspective view of the ultimate form of the wear compensating means as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring now to the different figures of drawing, in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, while the wear compensating means of my present invention may be embodied in shims having forms varying therefrom, the initial and ultimate preferred forms are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, and in 6 and 7, respectively, wherein the so-called ultimate form differs from the so-called initial form by having the outer end of a welding projection bent downwardly so as to permit welding it to the outer crowned surface of the joint side bar.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows abutted end fragments of a pair of railroad rails I and 2 disposed in operative alignment, a slight space a: being left between the ends of the rails to permit the rail ends to relatively approach and recede, responsive to the thermal expansive and contraction effects of temperature conditions upon said rails. The rail joint comprises, additionally, a pair of opposed spliced bars 3 and 4 which are tightly clamped against the rail ends by virtue of the bolts 5 which are disposed in spaced relation longitudinally of the rails, and each of which projects through aligned apertures of the pair of opposing bars and intermediate spaced apertures 6 through the web I of the rails. The rails, of course, comprise, besides the vertical web 7, the customary rail base 8 having lateral flanges 9 and a head it], the upper surface of which forms the track surface proper.

Ordinarily, as indicated in Fig. l, the splice bars 3 and 4, relatively of complementary form, engage by upper surfaces H with the under side of the rail head I 9 and by a lower surface I2 with upper surfaces of the rail base flanges 9.

The top surfaces of the rail base flanges are upwardly inclined, as are also the surfaces l2 of the splice bar, engageable therewith, so that when the nuts 5' for the bolts 5 are turned tightly to draw the splice bars inwardly, a wedging action is produced effecting a very considerable upward and inward force to be exerted against the so-called fishing under surface of the rail head I by the upper so-called fishing surfaces II of the splice bars.

Now, under the severe pounding conditions imposed upon the rails and therefore the rail joint parts, by the passage of heavy trains over the railway comprising the joint, the successive power impacts occasioned between the abutting fishing surfaces of the joint side bars, and the engaged under surface of the rail head I occasions wear, principally of the said fishing surfaces of the joint side bars, until elongated crevices are formed. Such crevices provide a space for movement between the rail head and the joint side bars increasing the noise resulting from the passage of train trucks over the rails, and increasing the rate of wear of the side bars, giving the track objectionable rough-riding qualities and weakening the joint otherwise effected by the use of the side bars.

Therefore, in the manner generally disclosed in the aforesaid prior patents a shim is placed between the fishing surfaces of the rail head and joint side bar of the character of those shown in the drawing and particularly Figs. 4 and 5 thereof, wherein the shim is illustrated as being of angular cross-sectional form having a pair of relatively angularly disposed flanges l3 and [4, the flange l3, hereinafter called the wear compensating flange being an elongated strip of sheet metal which is tapered, preferably, from an intermediate portion [3a progressively toward its ends l3b, whereat the shim is tapered down to such a minimum thickness as is consistent with durability of the shim.

The other flange I4 is preferably of uniform thickness throughout its length, and preferably of the same thickness as the said intermediate portion l3a of the said wear compensating flange, although the flange l4 may be tapered if this is convenient in the manufacture of the shim, although no useful purpose is ordinarily served by tapering the flange I l, and by making the flange Hi of the same thickness, different longitudinally disposed portions of the shim are maintained in better longitudinal alignment in the rail joint as will hereafter appear.

Extending outwardly from the edge of the wear compensating flange I3 I provide for each shim a locating tab 15, herein illustrated as being an outward extension of the said intermediate portion |3a of the wear compensating flange, and therefore being of the same increased thickness of the said intermediate portion.

In applying the shims to the worn rail joint where a slight crevice has occurred between the under fishing surface of the railhead l and the upper fishing surface ii of the rail joint side bar, assuming that the bolts have been removed or at least suificiently loosened that the shim, such as. shown in Fig. 4 or '7, can be inserted between said fishing surface in the manner indicated in Fig. 2 and positioned longitudi nally of the rails to agree with the worn part of said fishing surfaces, then the nuts 5' on the bolts 5 turn up to tightly draw the joint side bars together to securely clamp the shim between the upper portions of the side bars and the under sides of the rail heads with the shim flanges l4 pendantly disposed at either side of the web 1 and the locating tab l5 extending outwardly from the joint as shown therein.

Before the nuts 5' are tightly turned onto the bolt the shim may be longitudinally moved in the joint by tapping the edge portions of the tab I5 with a light hammer or by grasping the tab l5 with ones fingers and moving it until its central portion I311 coincides with the portion of the wear effected crevice which is of greatest thickness, i. e., when the shim becomes loosest in the joint, and then the bolts 5 have their nuts 5' tightly turned thereon to secure the joint parts together.

Then, preferably, at such a time the locating tabs I 5 are hammered down in the manner indi-' cated in Figs. 1 and 3 and welded or otherwise rigidly affixed to the joint side bar as at l5r. The tabs may be formed to conform to the curvature of the shoulder periphery of the joint side bar, and located with the same. Preferably, I accomplish a rigid integral joint between the said tabs l5 and the joint side bar by a spotwelding operation, although it may be welded, brazed or otherwise aifixed in any suitable manner to said joint side bar, or any projection of or part secured thereto in any suitable way.

I preferably provide a shim having a tab of relatively greater thickness than the shim flanges, so that when an oxyacetylene blow torch, or the like, is applied to the tab and the associated shoulders of the side bar in the spotwelding operation, the two may be fused and united as an integral unit. If too thin a tab is used, the tab will be heated a great deal more rapidly than the side bar because of the latters relatively greater mass, and hence the tab will merely be superposed on the bar, and not united therewith, in an integral state. An additional strip of metal may be used in conjunction with the shim tab to gain this greater thickness, but preferably the tab itself is thickened.

If necessary, the side bars may be preheated before applying the shim and welding the shim to the said side bars.

It will be understood that although I have illustrated the tab l in Fig. 1 as positioned intermediately of the joint, actually in practice it rarely will take such a precise intermediate position, except under conditions where the track is used as a two-way track with the same number of equally loaded cars passing over the joint in both directions, since it is a well known fact that the receiving rail, i. e., the last one traversed by the wheels, is the one which causes the greatest wear to the joint fishing surfaces and so generally, whichever of the rails I or 2 is, because of the direction of heaviest traffic, the receiving rail, will cause the most wear and the entire shim will be manually shifted before welding in the direction of such rail until the intermediate portion l3a is at the point of greatest wear and then the welding of the locating tab is accomplished to hold the shim rigidly against displacement in the joint at the precise point of greatest wear.

The shims illustrated herein are preferably made of stainless steel which have a very smooth frictionless surface and the material thereof is therefore ordinarily non-corrosive. Having a frictional surface the shims are readily moved in the joint when being adjustedtoafinalposition therein, and permit slightlongitudinalmovements of the rail ends overlying the shim incidental to use and to temperature changes without effecting any severe stresses on the shim which would otherwise readily break it, or break its welded bond with the joint side bar, or effect other deleterious results.

Having thus described my invention in specific embodiments, I am aware that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A rail joint comprising a pair of aligned rail ends, a pair of joint bars at either side of said rail ends overlapping said ends, means for securing said bars to the rail ends in clamping relation thereto, a wear compensating shim extending longitudinally of the rails overlapping said ends, said shim having its wear compensating portion disposed between the upper fishing surface of one of said bars and the lower fishing surfaces of the heads of both rail ends, said shim being in the form of a single thin strip of hard steel alloy and thickest in an intermediate portion opposite the rail ends, positionable between the fishing surfaces where greatest wear has previously occurred, said thickest portion having an extension projected laterally of said surfaces over an external upper surface of the associated joint bar, said extension being in the form of a welding tab bent down over the joint bar and integrally secured to a contiguous surface of the joint bar, said tab extending longitudinally of the joint a small fraction of the longitudinal extent of the shim, said shim tapering substantially in thickness in both longitudinal directions therefrom, and being free to move up and down during use of the rails relative to the secured portion, an amount determined by the resiliency of the shim portions which in turn is determined by its thickness and distance from said tab.

ALBERT F. FIFIELD. 

